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2 Information and Communications Technology (ICT) 19 2 Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Overview The 4Cs of ICT: The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) estimates the worldwide ICT market in Computing, 2002 was almost $2.1 trillion, which they segmented as Telecom Services (39%), Software and Services (31%), and Hardware (30%). This comes to nearly 6.6% of the Gross World Connectivity, Product. Surprisingly, in developing countries, ICT’s share in GDP is not low. Content, and (human) Capacity ICT can be considered to be built on the 4 C’s – Computing, Communications, Content, and (the often overlooked) human Capacity. The recent World Summit on the Information Society Together, ICT is (WSIS) focused extensively on 3 Cs, communications, content, and capacity building, and less so on computers. In truth, computing and other hardware continue to become less and roughly 6.6% of the less expensive, especially on a price-performance basis. When considering the use of ICT for world’s GDP development, conventional wisdom is that even if hardware is free (e.g., donated), communications, software, and training make ICT expensive. ICT is more than ICT is much more than computers and the Internet or even telephony, even though the computers and digital divide and issues of Internet governance were much of the focus of WSIS. Applications of ICT can be divided under two broad categories. The first are those largely telephony – ICT is dependent on traditional telecommunications networks (including the Internet) that enable embedded in virtually on-demand communications to provide information tailored to the user’s convenience and all industrial, needs. How that information is processed, whether it is used at all, and whether it is commercial, and transformed into knowledge is left to the human user who asked for that information in the services systems first place. The second group of ICT applications, for want of a more appropriate name, we shall call Human Independent, where information is processed and decisions are arrived on the basis of preset criteria without human intervention at the time of decision making. These can be nearly passive systems, or part of a larger system (embedded ICT). Examples include sensor-based networks that determine automated climate control for buildings today, or, in the near future, sensor networks for malarial larvae detection. Many of the more-discussed applications of ICT for SD are of the first category, ranging from distance education programs, e-commerce, or e-governance, while the second class of applications remains largely unrealized. A major challenge is how to design both ICT and other complex engineering or societal systems such that the two can be integrated. ICT and Development ICT is a fundamental Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is viewed as both a means and an end part of economic for development. With roughly two-third of the world economy based on services, and the rise of India, Philippines, and other nations as global IT players, many developing countries growth, especially for have accepted ICT as a national mission. Even within manufacturing and industry, ICT has the so-termed an increasingly important role to play. During 1995 – 2002, when the US economy posted knowledge economy impressive overall growth, nearly one-third of the growth in productivity was attributable to 20 ICT for Sustainable Development: Defining a Global Research Agenda ICT. 3 While the growth rates of ICT even in developing countries are impressive, the base upon which these apply is very low. John Daly, in a series of articles,4 discusses point by point how ICT can work to meet the eight goals identified with the 18 targets set by the MDGs. Similar options are indicated in World Bank publications (such as Footnote 1) and in the World Telecommunication Development Report 2003, excerpted in Table 1. Allocation of resources to an MDG sector and ICT Allocation of resources Allocation of resources to ICT in the sector to the sector Non ICT-related ICT-related increased Impact on this increased efficiency in efficiency in delivering MDG sector delivering Increased efficiency in delivering in the sector Source: Lanvin and Qiang (2003) 5 Figure 2: ICT and Development: Resource Allocation and Impact in MDG Sectors 3 There are different estimates on the growth and role of ICT, both within ICT sectors and in ICT consuming sectors. These estimates are from the 2003 Economic Report of the President , and are the growth of productivity after 1973-1995 after accounting for cyclical business effects. 4 http://www.developmentgateway.org//download/222153/JohnDaly-Main.doc 5 Lanvin and Qiang (2003). Chapter Poverty ‘E-readication’: Using ICT to Meet MDGs: Direct and Indirect Roles of E-Maturity” in Dutta, Lanvin and Paua, ed., Global IT Report 2003-04 Oxford University Press. Information and Communications Technology (ICT) 21 Goal/Target Role of ICTs 1. Eradicate extreme poverty and Increase access to market information hunger and reduce transaction costs for poor Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the farmers and traders proportion of people whose income is Increase efficiency, competitiveness and less than one dollar a day market access of developing country firms Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the Enhance ability of developing countries to proportion of people who suffer from participate in global economy and to hunger exploit comparative advantage in factor costs (particularly skilled labor) 2. Achieve universal primary education Increase supply of trained teachers Ensure that, by 2015, children through ICT-enhanced and distance everywhere, boys and girls alike, will training of teachers and networks that link be able to complete a full course of teachers to their colleagues primary schooling Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of education ministries and related bodies through strategic application of technologies and ICT-enabled skill development Broaden availability of quality educational materials/resources through ICTs 3. Promote gender equality and Deliver educational and literacy programs empower women specifically targeted to poor girls and women using appropriate technologies Influence public opinion on gender equality through information or communication programs using a range of ICTs. 4. Reduce child mortality Enhance delivery of basic and in-service 5. Improve maternal health training for health workers 6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and Increase monitoring and information- other diseases sharing on disease and famine Reduce infant and child mortality Increase access of rural caregivers to rates by two-thirds between 1990 specialist support and remote diagnosis and 2015 Increase access to reproductive health Reduce maternal mortality rates by information, including information on three-quarters between 1990 and AIDS prevention, through locally 2015 appropriate content in local languages Provide access to all who need reproductive health services by 2015 7. Ensure environmental sustainability Remote sensing technologies and Implement national strategies for communications networks permit more sustainable development by 2005 so effective monitoring, resource management, as to reverse the loss of mitigation of environmental risks environmental resources by 2015 Increase access to/awareness of Halve, by 2015, the proportion of sustainable development strategies, in people without sustainable access to areas such as agriculture, sanitation and safe drinking water water management, mining, etc. Have achieved, by 2020, a Greater transparency and monitoring of significant improvement in the lives environmental abuses/enforcement of of at least 100 million slum dwellers environmental regulations Facilitate knowledge exchange and networking among policymakers, practitioners and advocacy groups Source: Table 4.2, World Telecommunication Development Report 2003 (ITU) [Reproduced with the kind permission of ITU] Table 1: How ICTs can help the MDGs 22 ICT for Sustainable Development: Defining a Global Research Agenda As Table 1 and Figure 2 show, ICT will not directly realize the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Rather, its role should be seen best as an enabler, primarily spanning several dimensions: (1) efficiency and competitiveness; (2) new business models and opportunities; and (3) transparency and empowerment. ICT can help achieve “Bread or computers?” is often asked as though one could in some way substitute for the the MDGs by: other. Admittedly, ICT is not an effortless or inexpensive proposition, but its benefits typically far outweigh the costs, and the scale of investment required is often much lower increasing efficiency, than that for development (such as providing electricity or water and sanitation). “The issue transparency, and is whether we accept that the poor should, in addition to the existing deprivation of income, competitiveness; food and health service, etc., also be further deprived of new opportunities to improve their opening up new livelihood.” (Weigel and Waldburger, 2004) 6 opportunities and ICT’s value towards the MDGs is in gathering, storing, and analyzing information with greater business models; and and greater accuracy and granularity. This enables tailoring development efforts to suit empowering citizens specific social, economic, gender, age, and geographic conditions and requirements. If we consider the success of development projects and initiatives, both ICT-based and otherwise, in addition to the obvious issue of financing, political economy issues (including legal framework/rule of law,
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